Choosing Your Atlanta SEO Company

Atlanta SEO Services

Published on October 19, 2012 by: James H. Hobson

If you own a business in Atlanta, and have a website, you understand how important it is to hire a good Atlanta SEO company. Over the years we have a heard a lot of horror stories from clients about their experiences in trying to find a real Atlanta SEO expert. This article is written to help companies who are in search of an Atlanta SEO company.

How To Hire A Good Atlanta SEO Company

The first rule of thumb is to see how well they are ranked for the best SEO terms. If an SEO company can't get themselves ranked well, then they probably won't make it happen for you.

The Typical Types of SEO Providers

The SEO Freelancer is definitely the worst option for any business. You can find these people hawking ridiculously low prices and making their "guaranteed first page of Google" claims all over Craigslist and similar sites.

Freelancers

Freelancers are almost always people who are trying to make a little money on the side. Let's face it, if they were any good they would be doing SEO work for a real SEO company or have their own full time SEO business. Freelancers work on your site when they feel like it or want to ask you for money. Freelancers are working without a business license, often have bootlegged software, don't subscribe to necessary services, and rarely work from any sort of plan or strategy.

The Me Too Web Designer

The Me Too Web Designer is another dubious player in the SEO marketplace. The me too web designer recognizes that pitchng SEO services is a way to make more money. These people have read just enough articles and forum content to talk a good game. It has been a rude shock for many business owners when they realize that their SEO is being farmed out to India or Romania, and that the web designer commits more effort to invoicing than staying on top of the SEO work.

The me too web designer is typically someone who is slightly smarter than the freelancer and has cobbled together just enough skills to look somewhat legitimate. Signs of low skills are pushing you into only website platforms like Wordpress, an inability to show live examples of client sites with excellent rankings, and not having an office, staff or an appearance of financial stability.

Established and Credentialed SEO Companies

There are probably only six to eight Atlanta SEO companies that really know what they are doing and are worthy of your consideration. These companies are obviously ranked well on Google for SEO terms, and probably for other related areas such as website design, internet marketing, social media management, ppc management, etc. Because your internet marketing needs will change over time you should establish a relationship with a company that has the capabilities to provide whatever you may need.

The truly legitimate Atlanta SEO companies have a business license, office, staff, client references, a strong presence on search engines, and have been in business under the same name for at least five years. A legitimate SEO company is not going to be cheap because they are good business people with overhead costs, well payed professionals and they do top tier SEO work that requires a considerable amount of time. The best SEO companies can provide you with expert consulting on various forms of internet marketing, develop fully integrated programs and will keep you out of trouble with search engines.

SEO Prices

If you run a business then you understand the costs of running a business. Proper SEO requires planning, implementation, measurement and adjustments. Using paid research softwares and services are necessary expenses. Hiring only skilled professionals is your assurance of getting optimal results. Thus when you compare SEO prices it's easy to understand that cheap prices cannot support quality work.

Prices depend largely upon the number of hours that are needed to achieve your objectives and sustain your upward ranking development. Obviously your starting point (existing ranking placements), the level of online competition, and the size of your marketing area are the benchmark metrics to assess what your SEO program requires.

A small business might get satisfactory results with monthly fees about equal to what they might pay for yellow pages ads. A larger industrial company or larger service company may realize a very substantial ROI from investing several thousands of dollars each month. It is reasonable to set your expectations in line with your monthly budget.

Dont' expect to own Google for cheap monthly rates. Just like athletes that spend countless hours training are top performers, the legitimate SEO company that puts in the most hours is going to overwhelm the competitors that devote very little time to their SEO efforts. The good news is that the services provided by the top SEO companies are almost certain to provide you with a multi-fold ROI.

In any event, the worst thing you can do is to NOT hire an SEO company. Even if you have only a very small budget you need to make every effort to at least not fall behind in search engine rankings. Invest whatever budget you have with the best possible SEO company that shows a sincere interest in helping your business.

Asking For SEO Guarantees

Google clearly states their opinion that no SEO company can promise any level of ranking results. SEO companies cannot buy organic rankings and certainly do not have the ability to control how search engines rank websites. Any SEO provider's guarantee is nothing more than the boastful promise of a politician seeking a vote.

The legitimate SEO companies can provide you with an educated guess on what to expect but even this is highly speculative. The SEO world is a horse race of sorts. Even if you hire a good SEO company your competitors may spend more money on their SEO program and get ahead of you. Because the SEO environment is so incredibly competitive and unpredictable you'll have the best odds by choosing one of the top SEO companies and betting on their proven expertise.

SEO Companies To Amend Ranking Losses

If you are one of the unfortunate business owners who have been struck down by Google algorithm changes such as Panda or Penguin, or had Google take manual action against your site, then you are in for a rough ride. Certainly hiring one of the top SEO firms is a step in the right direction but don't expect immediate miracles.

The process of correcting SEO generated ranking problems requires a meticulous and paced process. Implementing rapid, vast changes is reckless and can lead to more problems. Trust your newly hired professional SEO company to handle the job as quickly as possible but maintain a reasoned implementation process.

Sites that have been harmed by black-hat SEO people or people who really do not understand SEO will need to undergo a thorough evaluation process. Even a Baton Rouge SEO company can use whatever information you can provide on previous SEO tactics to assess the causes of your problems. Additionally the good SEO company will need to do a line-by-line review of your website code, run backlink checks, and run your site through professional SEO software to identify problems.

Comparing SEO Proposals

Because business owners do not have a good understanding of SEO methods, tactics, processes and terminology they often make decisions on price alone. When you compare SEO proposals you should look for specifics on tasks and ask the bidder to elaborate on the purpose of each task. Ask about how they might adjust their services if there are difficulties in obtaining results. Ask about progress reports and how you will be able to measure their progress. Sure price matters, but knowing what is included and what options you have are what really matters.

If you are getting several bids it is always interesting to ask a bidder, "if we did not choose your company, who would you recommend?". By having all of your bidders answer this question you've gained the insight from peers on who they respect the most.

In summary, hire only one of Atlanta's top SEO companies and use these tips when choosing your Atlanta SEO company. The SEO world has changed a lot in 2012. If you need a new SEO company to move your website forward in 2013 call us for more information on our services.